HOW TO WIN A CHESS GAME WITHOUT TOUCHING A PIECE

In the rich history of the game of chess, games have been won in many curious & devious ways but to win a game without touching a single piece is taking it bit too far.

But there is a way, albeit using a slight technicality in chess terms. In chess terminology, a pawn is technically not a ‘piece’. Bishops & Knights are minor pieces. Queens & Rooks are major pieces. But pawns are.... just pawns. 

But has there ever been a game when a player won by exclusively moving his pawns? 

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SO LONG YOUR HIGHNESS

The checkmate on a long diagonal is literally (and geometrically!) the longest checkmate that can occur on a chess board. Just Imagine playing Qh1+ and mating the black king on a8! Unfortunately this does not happen all that often over the board. If you have practical experiences I'd love to hear about them.

A puzzle composed by Philip H. Williams in 1908 is a stunning example of how chess & geometry combine harmoniously to create a visually pleasing spectacle.

WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN THREE MOVES

The possibility of a stalemate could not be ignored. But if white surrenders the pawn on a7, a mate in three is impossible.

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ONLY BLUNDER YOU CAN MAKE BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS

Something that always puzzled (and irritated) me is why non chess media almost always represent the chess board inaccurately. They either have a black square on the right corner (or should I say wrong corner?) or positioning of King & Queen is all wrong. Of course the first mistake often leads to the other but you’ll be surprised to notice how common these mistakes are.

Show business never made an attempt to understand chess properly (understandably so). Famous films like Shawshank redemption (1994), The Silence of the lambs (1991), The Davinci code (2006) & Never say never again (1983 James Bond film) had minor scenes where chess boards in wrong orientation were on display.  

 NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983)

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DISAPPEARING ACTS

In a game played in 2006 between two moderately rated British players, following position was reached after black’s 14^th move.

RUDD-ROBERTSON 2006
WHITE TO MOVE

15.  e5

White played this innocent looking pawn breakthrough and all of a sudden all hell broke loose. Pieces started disappearing left, right and center.

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THE ART OF (UN)CASTLING

All of us know about ‘Castling’. But have you ever heard about ‘Uncastling’? Well now you have.  

A delightful little chess problem composed by Gerald F. Anderson in 1917 demonstrates the uses of both castling and uncastling.

  WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN 4 MOVES

If you want to uncastle, you have to castle first….

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CHANGING THE RULES

As you may know already, chess problem composers are a clever lot. You can trust them not to miss an opportunity to exploit even the slightest loop hole in the rules book. Over the years, ambiguities in the definition of some chess terms offered them ample scope for manipulation.

Following is a very old puzzle that looks absolutely impossible.

WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN ONE MOVE

ONE MOVE ? Really ?

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